The Vorthos Cast

Welp, it's time for our summary and review of War of the Spark: Forsaken, Greg Weisman's sequel to War of the Spark: Ravnica. This book covers the aftermath of Bolas's war as Kaya, Ral, and Vraska hunt down the last of the elder dragon's minions. We read it so you don't have to. If you enjoy The Vorthos Cast, consider supporting us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast! 01:49 – Forsaken Summary: Introduction 02:28 – Forsaken Summary: Hunt for Liliana 08:43 – Forsaken Summary: Hunt for Tezzeret 15:25 – Forsaken Summary: Hunt for Dovin 20:57 – Forsaken Summary: Finale 24:18 – Final Outcomes for Each Character 27:14 – Criticisms 43:21 – The 10 Little Things Loreley Liked 50:10 – Final Thoughts

In our last stop in Theros's past before Theros: Beyond Death previews begin, we tell the tale of Elspeth, Sun's Champion as it appears in the two-part novella Godsend. If you missed the original block or just need the refresher, we got you covered! If you enjoy The Vorthos Cast, consider supporting us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast! 01:34 – Secret Lairs Were a Cool Thing 03:27 – The Story of Theros Block Link: https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/jayannelli-11052019-preparing-for-theros-beyond-death 33:23 – Final Thoughts

The cast... or well, Jay and Brian, at least, are here to talk about the three major human poleis of Theros, and all the other cool stuff about the plane, too! 1:02 - Secret Lair Announced 3:29 - Feature: The World of Theros

Unbeknownst to us (but knownst to R&D), Mystery Booster - Convention Edition contained 121 new "playtest cards" with Future Sight-esque mechanics and employee-illustrated sketches. We did what any Vorthos crew would: pulled out the best references and art from the set! In an episode containing the most laughs, and mystery, ever, we highlight some of our favorites from this bizarre new product. If you enjoy The Vorthos Cast, consider supporting us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast! 00:57 – War of the Spark: Forsaken Is Out Link: http://www.randomhousebooks.com/books/595015/ 01:31 – Flavor Gems of Mystery Booster Playtest Cards Link: https://scryfall.com/sets/cmb1?order=name 46:15 – Final Thoughts

When this podcast hits 88 miles per hour, you're gonna see some...well, not serious, but some god-related stuff. We're getting closer and closer to Theros: Beyond Death, so it's time to begin reintroducing this plane inspired by Greek mythology! Today we cover the fifteen gods that form the crux of the world. If you enjoy The Vorthos Cast, consider supporting us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast! 01:01 – A Bunch of Commander News for 2020 Link: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/big-things-are-coming-commander-2020-2019-10-30 06:55 – Mystery Boosters 10:31 – Magic: The Gathering Inducted into National Toy Hall of Fame Link: https://www.toyhalloffame.org/toys/magic-gathering 11:43 – The Gods of Theros 42:09 – Final Thoughts

We are finally done with Django Wexler's The Gathering Storm, the stories leading up to War of the Spark: Ravnica. It's been 20 weeks, and Nicol Bolas's final plans are set in motion. We take plenty of time to talk about these excellent stories as a whole too! (And Happy Halloween this week, folks!) If you enjoy The Vorthos Cast, consider supporting us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast! 02: 19 – The Gathering Storm Chapter 18 Link: https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=671981442a09c23d267bd602b&id=0d75c9223b 08:41 – The Gathering Storm Chapter 19 Link: https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=671981442a09c23d267bd602b&id=989fe24b08 12:55 – The Gathering Storm Chapter 20 Link: https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=671981442a09c23d267bd602b&id=b7318e2d99 Link: https://twitter.com/AndreGarciaArt/status/1187278888071847936 19:31 – The Gathering Storm Retrospective 37:25 – Final Thoughts

We're in week two of three covering the final episodes of Django Wexler's The Gathering Storm! This episode is all about the chapters leading up to the finale, where things really start going awry for our heroes and the clamps of Nicol Bolas's trap snap shut. Enjoy! If you enjoy The Vorthos Cast, consider supporting us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast! 01:07 – Riot Games Introduces Digital TCG Runeterra Link: https://playruneterra.com/en-us/ 04:45 – The Gathering Storm Chapter 14 Link: https://mailchi.mp/8d3f6c0de7f0/chapter-one-the-gathering-storm-by-django-wexler-1274959 12:33 – The Gathering Storm Chapter 15 Link: https://mailchi.mp/c2f4c4b9b5e1/chapter-one-the-gathering-storm-by-django-wexler-1297011 21:28 – The Gathering Storm Chapter 16 Link: https://mailchi.mp/9b7febc08405/chapter-one-the-gathering-storm-by-django-wexler-1297031 27:33 – The Gathering Storm Chapter 17 Link: https://mailchi.mp/f7a2dc644389/chapter-one-the-gathering-storm-by-django-wexler-1297039 34:33 – Final Thoughts

We had a bunch of announcements this past week, but more importantly, we're back to talking about The Gathering Storm by Django Wexler! We're gonna be finishing this prequel series over the next three weeks, starting with chapters 11, 12, and 13 this week. If you enjoy The Vorthos Cast, consider supporting us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast! 01:01 – Announcing: Mystery Boosters Link: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/announcing-mystery-booster-2019-10-10 03:21 – Announcing: Unsanctioned Link: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/announcing-unsanctioned-2019-10-10 06:28 – Game Night Product and Eldraine Holiday Gift Bundle 08:06 – War of the Spark: Forsaken Info Link: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/war-spark-forsaken-2019-10-09 13:18 – The Gathering Storm Chapter 11 Link: https://mailchi.mp/7d7e870cbf60/chapter-one-the-gathering-storm-by-django-wexler-1274875 20:25 – The Gathering Storm Chapter 12 Link: https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=671981442a09c23d267bd602b&id=6ab57d4759 23:24 – The Gathering Storm Chapter 13 Link: https://mailchi.mp/05c539e100c1/chapter-one-the-gathering-storm-by-django-wexler-1274903 30:57 – Final Thoughts

Throne of Eldraine has been revealed in all its flavorful glory! The set pulls from two major influences: Arthurian legend and fairy tales. This week we're diving deep into the second, discussing both the general fairy tale tropes and specific fairy tale references that appear in the set. If you enjoy The Vorthos Cast, consider supporting us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast! 01:53 – Ponies: The Galloping Extra Life Charity Promotion Link: https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/03/magic-the-gathering-reveals-my-little-pony-crossover-set-for-charity 03:18 – Fairy Tale Tropes in Throne of Eldraine 10:14 – Specific Fairy Tales in Throne of Eldraine Link: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/sorcerers-apprentice-2010-07-12 38:08 – Final Thoughts

Throne of Eldraine has been revealed in all its flavorful glory! The set pulls from two major influences: Arthurian legend and fairy tales. This week we're diving deep into the first, uncovering the cards that pull from specific elements of the Arthur mythology, medieval knights, and the wisps of magic that entwine the two. If you enjoy The Vorthos Cast, consider supporting us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast! 01:01 – MF Atlanta Recap 02:58 – Trials of Alara Comic Cancelled Link: https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/09/21/idw-cancels-magic-the-gathering-chandra-the-trials-of-alara-comic-before-publication/ 03:49 – Game Night Product Cover Revealed Link: https://wpn.wizards.com/en/products/game-night-2019 04:52 – No Throne of Eldraine Art Book Link: https://twitter.com/aquelajames/status/1176238964631453696 08:12 – Arthurian Gems of Eldraine 38:31 – Final Thoughts

It's time for TWO free preview cards from Throne of Eldraine! First, we have a card representing the turnstile relationships of Queen Ayara, who takes new suiters as quickly as the old ones die questing. Festive Funeral 4B Instant - C Target creature gets -X/-X until end of turn, where X is the number of cards in your graveyard. "Even as we mourn the last, we look to the next with joy. Hopefully, my new suitor will bring the Cauldron home." —Ayara, First of Locthwain Our second card sees the healing and redemption of one Garruk Wildspeaker, no longer cursed by the Chain Veil! Return of the Wildspeaker 4G Instant - R Choose one — *Draw cards equal to the greatest power among non-Human creatures you control. *Non-Human creatures you control get +3/+3 until end of turn.

We've got a few quick announcements about upcoming podcast content (MF Atlanta! Week Off! Previews! Flavor Gems!), and then it's time to just dig into Kate Elliott's novel, The Wildered Quest. After brief worldbuilding notes, we cover the entire book in summaries, jokes, and reflections. If you enjoy The Vorthos Cast, consider supporting us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast! 01:28 – The Whole Cast Will Be at MF Atlanta This Weekend! 02:23 – We Have Two Free Preview Cards on Thursday! 02:41 – Kenrith Family Portrait & Kate Elliott Interview Link: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/portrait-kenriths-2019-09-12 03:37 – Eldraine Worldbuilding 11:17 – The Wildered Quest Summary and Discussion Link: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/634136/throne-of-eldraine-the-wildered-quest-by-kate-elliott/?pdivflag=

Product Architect Gavin Verhey of Wizards of the Coast is back to guest on the podcast once again! This week we play a game of "If or When" with him, where we say a character and Gavin tells us "When" (When we finally make this card) or "If" (If we ever make this card). We talk about characters from all across Magic's history, from its earliest days to this year, so enjoy! If you enjoy The Vorthos Cast, consider supporting us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast! 01:29 – Throne of Eldraine Previews Have Begun Link: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/card-image-gallery/throne-eldraine 01:54 – We have TWO Free Preview Cards on September 19th 02:45 – 2020 Standard Sets Announced Link: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/476756794 06:44 – If or When with Gavin Verhey 49:25 – Final Thoughts

A week of downtime means a week of digging into our mailbag to catch up on all the questions we haven't been answering in previous episodes! From the brilliant to the banal, sit back and enjoy a relaxed episode that hits a variety of smaller topics. If you enjoy The Vorthos Cast, consider supporting us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast! 01:43 – Meet Oko, Magic’s New Fey Planeswalker Link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurenorsini/2019/08/28/exclusive-meet-oko-the-magic-the-gathering-multiverses-newest-planeswalker/#7a2bb49f1b1a 05:13 – Listener Question: How Long Has Each Planeswalker Been a Planeswalker? 19:06 – Listener Question: Planar Chaos Colorshift a Planeswalker? 22:49 – Listener Question: Flavor + Mechanics Homerun Cards? 26:50 – Listener Question: Speculation for a Viking Plane? 28:56 – Listener Question: Which Muppet Babies Are the Gatewatch? 30:46 – Listener Question: History of the Slivers? 31:51 – Listener Question: What Are Karn’s Abilities? 33:46 – Listener Question: What Author Would You Hire to Write Magic? 40:24 – Listener Question: Where Would You Start Telling Magic’s Story? 46:36 – Final Thoughts

What is nothingness? What does it mean to exist? How come that frog I summoning in combat dissipated in a swirling burst of energy? These are the questions that plague metaphysically minded mages around the Multiverse, and today we're diving into, well, how reality works in the Magic IP. We've fielded lots of questions about these kinds of things over time, so consider this episode one big answer to a bunch of 'em! If you enjoy The Vorthos Cast, consider supporting us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast! 02:50 – Happy One Year on the Show, Brian and Ashley! 03:58 – The Inspiring Questions 06:32 – Metaphysics of the Blind Eternities 26:51 – Metaphysics of Planes 40:13 – Metaphysics of Magic 52:17 – Final Thoughts